Aphrodite: Les Folies Tour
|image = Aphrodite Les Folies.jpg |type = World tour |artist = Kylie Minogue |album = Aphrodite |start_date = 19 February 2011 |end_date = 14 July 2011 |number_of_legs = 5 |number_of_shows = 36 in Europe 9 in Asia 17 in North America 10 in Australia 5 in Africa 77 in Total |gross = US $60 million ($63.22 million in 2016 dollars) |last_tour = (2009) |next_tour = (2012) |this_tour = (2011) }} "Aphrodite: Les Folies Tour" (also known as Aphrodite Live) was the twelfth concert tour by Kylie Minogue. The tour supported her eleventh studio album, Aphrodite (2010). The tour visited Europe, Asia, North America, Australia and Africa. Minogue has stated the tour was highly technical (as far as staging) yet it remained somewhat intimate. Given the nature of the show, the tour was officially acknowledged by two names; Aphrodite: Les Folies Tour (in Europe and Australia) and Aphrodite Live (in Asia, North America and Africa). The tour ranked 6th in Pollstar's "Top 50 Worldwide Tour (Mid-Year)", earning over $52.1 million from 68 shows. At the conclusion of 2011, the tour placed 21st on Billboard's annual, "Top 25 Tours", earning over $32.6 million with 41 shows. The tour earned over $52.8 million from 72 shows, placing 21st on Pollstar's "Top 50 Worldwide Tours". Overall, the tour grossed an estimated $60 million. Background During an interview in June 2010, Minogue was asked if she was going to tour with her latest album. She responded, "Oh yeah! ... Yes, I have show concepts in mind but I can't tell you yet, because it really is in its infancy ... But come on, with the name Aphrodite as the launch pad, we're going to have a lot to play with! ... I would like the tour to be like, you're on that sea... and there are the rushes and the dips, and you're just feeling the love. The vibe that I've put out there with 'All the Lovers', and that I'm getting back, is 'feel love, share love'. That's what I want the show to be." During a gay pride festival in Hamburg, Germany, an advertisement was displayed showing Minogue touring in Hamburg, Mannheim, Berlin, Munich and Oberhausen. During a promotional appearance in Germany to promote her album, Minogue expressed it will be a world tour stating she would like to return to tour the Americas and possibly perform a show in Ibiza. The tour was officially announced via Minogue's website on 6 September 2010. By way of introduction, Minogue stated, Minogue later confirmed she would return to the United States to tour. This became the third time the singer has performed stateside since her breakthrough in 2002. She described her previous feat as one of her best decisions in her career. She further commented, "The last couple of years I've really made the effort to visit a lot of places I'd never toured in before and that was so rewarding, fulfilling and inspiring. I'm a glutton for punishment so I want to do it again and I want to take it even further." At the beginning of the new year, Minogue stated that the tour would be her biggest to date. The stage is proclaimed to be the most extravagant staging built for any concert tour with several movable parts, seven lifts and nearly 600 light sources. It will also feature water jets created by The Fountain People, known for their work with the Disneyland ResortWorld of Color. The show will be a homage to Greek mythology and culture, with an aerial act inspired by the musical Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark.13 The entire production is valued at over $25 million, and will see Minogue joined on stage by a cast of dancers and aerial performers along with her live band. The show will be moved throughout Europe by a crew of over 100 personnel in a fleet of 25 trucks. While promoting the tour, Minogue stated the main inspiration of the tour's name was inspired by the MGM film, Ziegfeld Follies. She further commented, "Ziegfeld Folies – I've been crazy about that movie and that period in music dance and film. My show has a bit of that so it became 'Aphrodite Les Folies'." The arena show will feature an elaborate production featuring a water element. As the production moves to Asia and North America, Minogue will play smaller venues, giving the singer a chance to provide an intimate show for these territories. Here the show is known as 'Aphrodite Live 2011'. Designers Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana (Dolce & Gabbana) spoke of working with Minogue for the costumes of the tour. They stated, "Kylie has always been our Piccola Principessa Princess, not just because of our work together but more so because of our friendship! Working with Kylie has always been very spontaneous and easy. We are given free reign [sic] to create because she trusts that we know exactly what she likes. This will be our third tour with Kylie and this time we have revisited iconic Dolce & Gabbana pieces, adapting them to different themes of the tour. This show definitely cannot be missed!" In January 2011, Minogue expanded the UK leg of her tour from four to fourteen shows. Further dates were added in Japan (Kylie's first dates there since her Rhythm Of Love Tour some 20 years earlier) and the United States. Minogue remarked, "Rehearsals are well underway and the show is shaping up to be more than I could have wished for. All departments are doing a stellar job and the combined level of expertise is nothing short of mind blowing. My friends, Dolce & Gabbana have designed an amazing wardrobe for me. I'm overwhelmed with the love and talent that is going into this tour and I can't wait for my fans to be part of it." Furthermore, it was announced the Harmonix game Dance Central would be the official sponsors of the European leg of the tour. According to the press release, booths will be staged in the lobby areas of the arenas giving spectators the opportunity to play the game to Minogue's dance hit "Can't Get You Out of My Head". Additionally, a crew has been assigned to record the audience, as well as, backstage footage for Minogue's official Facebook page. The tour premiered in Herning, Denmark at the Jyske Bank Boxen to a full house of nearly 12,000 spectators. Minogue posted a video on her official YouTube account thanking the crew for the hard work and dedication during rehearsals along with expressing her excitement for the opening night after "nearly a year of planning". Later, a video was posted showing interviews with the audience as well as the performances of "Aphrodite", "Slow", "Can't Get You Out of My Head", "Better the Devil You Know" and "All the Lovers". Minogue provided various tour updates via her official Twitter account, announcing winners of a "best dressed" contest at every venue. Critical response The tour received rave reviews from entertainment critics. Ed Power from The Daily Telegraph gave the concert a four star rating stating that "Kylie Minogue takes retro chic to dizzying extremes on her new tour. Channelling a hitherto unhinted at passion for Ancient Greece and Rome". Power said that "Through a stunning series of set-pieces Kylie proved herself a peerless conjurer of pop spectacle and demonstrated that, when it comes to the classier brand of arena kitsch, she, not Lady Gaga, remains supreme authority." Elisa Bray from The Independent gave the concert four stars (out of five) and said that "Minogue's authenticity and down-to-earth persona has always made her the most likeable pop diva. From her earliest fame days as Charlene in Australian soap Neighbours, girly though she remains, Kylie has made the successful transition to show-woman." Ian Gittins from The Guardian commented that "there is no denying the scale of the production. From the moment Minogue rises from the stage reclining in a golden conch shell in a tableau based on Botticelli's Birth of Venus, it's evident that understatement is not on the menu tonight." He praised her live vocals, describing Minogue's voice as "oddly endearing" and concluded by saying that "it is unfortunate that mainstream America has never taken Minogue to its heart. On this flamboyant evidence, nobody is more ready for a Las Vegas residency." James Reed from The Boston Globe gave the Aphrodite Live 2011 concert a favourable review by saying that "all eyes were on Minogue, 42, and she was in regal form as both entertainer and singer." Jason Lipshutz from Billboard gave the concert a positive review saying that "Minogue is still an under-appreciated musical force, and one that should not be missed on an all-too-rare U.S. trek." Santiago Felipe from The Village Voice said that "at the center of it all was Kylie, who was by turns bashful and jokingly chiding and absolutely in command, changing dresses as quickly as some people change their mind, flirting with the audience through performances ... She might be a bit of a cult popstar in the U.S., but she radiated at maximum wattage throughout the evening". Concert synopsis The show began with an overture dubbed "The Birth of Aphrodite", which incorporated elements of "Carnival of the Animals", before Kylie emerges from the set atop a golden shell to sing "Aphrodite"; this is followed by "The One", featuring harps rising from the stage and the dancers treating Kylie as though she were a goddess. The section closes with "Wow". The second section begins with an instrumental interlude before Kylie rises from the stage riding a golden Pegasus, to sing "Illusion"; the song features a break down after the bridge where Kylie and the dancers perform a dance routine; following the final chorus, Kylie moves to the right pod before performing "I Believe in You", where she is pulled round the B-stage on a cart. During the concerts in Japan, "In Your Eyes" was performed between the two songs. Gladiator begins with and instrumental interlude where the male dancers emerge wearing black matador hats and briefs before Kylie emerges wearing a black crinoline and top hat to sing "Cupid Boy"; this is followed by a new version of "Spinning Around" with just the female dancers, before the boys return for the performance of "Get Outta My Way". Kylie is then left alone to perform a new remix of "What Do I Have to Do". During the concerts in Japan, "2 Hearts" was performed before "What Do I Have to Do" "]] The fourth section begins with an extended version of "Everything Is Beautiful", with the female dancers emerging in flamboyant white outfits, before Kylie emerges in front of a white bust. This is followed by a jazz version of "Slow", featuring the "Revolver" which allows the dancers to move around Kylie whilst lying down. This is followed by the Chemical Brothers Remix, which ends the section. During shows with spatial limitations, new choreography had to be done for "Slow" due to the absence of the key stage piece. Holograph begins with an instrumental interlude that features excerpts of the Big Brothers Remix of "Confide in Me"; here the male dancers performed, which preceded a new electro remix of "Confide in Me", where Kylie emerged in a holographic dress. This was followed by a performance of the hit single "Can't Get You Out of My Head", which was a more rock-oriented version. Here, "In Your Eyes" was originally placed in the set list, but was ultimately cut and replaced with "In My Arms"; this was paired with imagery in vein of The Whore of Babylon, and was the song to close the section. The sixth section begins with an extended version of "Looking For An Angel"; the stage is covered with smoke and the dancers slowly emerge, before Kylie rises out of the stage in gold; the song culminates with a dancer dressed as an angel rising out of the stage and the dancers surrounding him and Kylie as she climbs onto him; this progresses straight into "Closer", where Kylie and the dancers fly to the B-stage, which is followed by a cover of "There Must Be An Angel (Playing With My Heart)". After this, Kylie talks with the audience and introduces the band before performing a mash-up of "Can't Beat the Feeling" and the 2001 single "Love at First Sight", which is followed by a performance of the rare "If You Don't Love Me"; this song was selected because Kylie's tour manager, Sean Fitzpatrick, had had an aneurysm and wanted the song to be performed due to it being one of his favourites. Fanfare begins with a thumping intro featuring the dancers in feathers, which leads to a new version of "Better the Devil You Know" with Kylie wearing denim hot pants and an orange jacket; following this, Kylie took requests from the audience and went on to close the main body of the show with "Put Your Hands Up (If You Feel Love)". "Better Than Today" was not always a part of the set and was performed at select dates only; during the concerts in Japan, "I Should Be So Lucky" was performed before "Put Your Hands Up (If You Feel Love)". The encore begins with an instrumental intro dubbed "Million Dollar Mermaid", which featured projections of synchronised swimmers; this leads into a new remix of "On a Night Like This", which featured water jets, and leads into the final song, "All the Lovers"; this used the cake-lift and more water jets. Opening acts * Frida Gold (Germany) * Matinée (Barcelona) * The Ultra Girls (Dublin/United Kingdom) * Verbal & Mademoiselle Yulia (Chiba) * Richie LaDue (Boston) * DJ Randy Bettis (New York City–2 May) * DJ DeMarko! (New York City–3 May) * DJ Tracy Young (New York City–4 May) * DJ Scott Robert (Orlando, Florida) * DJ Stephan Grondin (Montréal) * Erik Thoresen (Dallas) * Kaskade (Los Angeles) * DJ Morningstar (Las Vegas) * Gypsy & The Cat (Australia) Set list Act I – The Birth of Aphrodite 1. "The Birth of Aphrodite" (Instrumental introduction) 2. "Aphrodite" 3. "The One" 4. "Wow" Act II – Pegasus 5. "Illusion" 6. "I Believe in You" Act III – Gladiator 7. "Cupid Boy" 8. "Spinning Around" 9. "Get Outta My Way" 10. "What Do I Have to Do" Act IV – Celestial Love 11. "Everything Is Beautiful" 12. "Slow" Act V – Holograph 13. "Confide in Me" 14. "Can't Get You Out of My Head" 15. "In My Arms" Act VI – Angel 16. "Looking For An Angel" 17. "Closer" 18. "There Must Be An Angel (Playing With My Heart)" 19. "Can't Beat the Feeling" / "Love at First Sight" 20. "If You Don't Love Me" Act VII – Fanfare 21. "Better the Devil You Know" 22. "Better Than Today" 23. "Put Your Hands Up (If You Feel Love)" Encore 24. "Million Dollar Mermaid" (Instrumental intro) 25. "On a Night Like This" 26. "All the Lovers" For the concerts in Japan, it was not possible to ship the whole tour over; due to this and the then-recent disaster, Kylie added some songs to the set list to make up to fans. 'Notes' • In the original setlist, as seen on the "Just Add Water" documentary, "Wow" and "I Believe in You" had been swapped with each other. • "In My Arms" was originally on the set list for performance after "Put Your Hands Up (If You Feel Love)", with "In Your Eyes" to be performed after "Can't Get You Out of My Head". • Before performing "Put Your Hands Up (If You Feel Love)", Kylie performed a song request from the audience. The most requested songs were: "I Should Be So Lucky", "The Loco-Motion", "Hand on Your Heart", "Breathe" "Your Disco Needs You", "In Your Eyes" and "Come into My World". • "Better Than Today" was added to the set list during concerts in Belgium, the United Kingdom, Ireland and Adelaide. • "Closer" was not performed in North America, Asia and Africa. • For concerts in Japan, Kylie performed "In Your Eyes", "2 Hearts" and "I Should Be So Lucky". • "Especially For You" was performed in Manila. • "Limbo" was performed acapella on April 9 in London as a request before a performance of "The Loco-Motion". Tour Dates ;Cancellations and rescheduled shows The 11 March 2011 concert at Galaxie Amnéville in Metz was originally scheduled to take place at the Zénith de Nantes Métropole in Nantes. The 17 March 2011 concert at Heineken Music Hall in Amsterdam was originally scheduled to take place at the GelreDome in Arnhem. 'Box office score data' Broadcasts and recordings The shows on April 11 and 12 were recorded in 2D and 3D respectively, and were released as a 2CD/DVD album on 28 November 2011. It aired on Sky 3D as well as in cinemas in the United Kingdom and Ireland on 19 June 2011. The DVD contained all songs performed at the show, as well as a behind-the-scenes tour documentary entitled Just Add Water; the CDs contained all audio from the performances on the DVD An edited show was shown on SkyHD, cutting various songs from the show: 1. Aphrodite 2. The One 3. Wow 4. Illusion 5. I Believe in You 6. Cupid Boy 7. Get Outta My Way 8. Everything Is Beautiful 9. Slow 10. Confide in Me 11. Can't Get You Out of My Head 12. Looking For An Angel 13. Closer 14. There Must Be An Angel (Playing With My Heart) 15. Love at First Sight / Can't Beat the Feeling 16. Better the Devil You Know 17. Put Your Hands Up (If You Feel Love) 18. On a Night Like This 19. All the Lovers Category:Tours Category:Aphrodite Category:Parlophone Category:2011